AFA Alaska

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

Click here to report an issue to AFA
You are here: Home / Latest News

**Revised with new information as of February 7, 2020 6 PM PST**

In This Edition

  • Recurrent Training 2020 – Interim Update
  • Flight Attendants Call for Responsible Halt to China Flights
  • Maternity Roundtable Event

Recurrent Training 2020 – Interim Update

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Since last week’s AFA update on Recurrent Training (RT), management has been working to make changes to the program based on feedback from Flight Attendants and our AFA representatives.  Several AFA officers and representatives have been observing and auditing this process to ensure contractual compliance and to advocate for positive changes to the program for all Flight Attendants.

Management has advised the Master Executive Council (MEC) that they will be releasing several communications over the next few days related to the status of the RT program and the timeline for classes to be relaunched.  The MEC plans to release an additional update early next week in response to management’s communication.

Flight Attendants Call for Responsible Halt to China Flights

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

AFA International issued this statement following last night’s travel advisory change by U.S. State Department to “do not travel to China” and the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the coronavirus is a “global health emergency”:

“AFA is calling for clear direction from our government to U.S. airlines to pull down all travel to China until the spread of coronavirus is contained. The government must work with our airlines to discontinue all service, with consideration for evacuation of flight crew, and with consideration to service that facilitates efforts by public health officials to contain spread of the virus,” stated Sara Nelson, AFA-CWA International President.

“The coronavirus may be spread by infected persons not yet displaying symptoms. For this reason, it is critical that any crew potentially infected through travel to and from China not be assigned to any additional flights until safely through the fourteen day incubation period. These crews must be pay protected for any scheduled flights and provided with the means to get food and other supplies while remaining out of public contact. This action is also on the AFA communicable disease checklist provided to all of our airlines again on January 21, 2020.

“We need responsible leadership from our government and we need it now. We will continue to work with our airlines, who have been exceeding precautions suggested by the administration – albeit now these actions are clearly not enough. This must end now. This is an emergency and our government must take a leadership role, in consultation with all stakeholders, in order to end this public health threat and protect American workers.”

Maternity Roundtable Event

Benefits Committee

Are you having a baby in 2020 or just thinking about it?  AFA Council 19 (Seattle) will be hosting a Maternity Roundtable event on March 27 from 11 to 3 PM.  Come have your questions answered related to maternity leaves, benefits, and other work-related considerations.  Though the event will be held in Seattle, it is open to all Flight Attendants regardless of base.

Location

SeaTac Office Center South Tower
18000 Pacific Highway South 
Earhart Conference Room, Lower Plaza Level 
SeaTac, WA 98188

The building is a short walk from the airport, located in the same building as 13 Coins Restaurant (between the Hilton and Radisson hotels).  Free parking is available.

Conference Call Option

For those who are interested in participating but are unable to attend in person, a conference call option will be available.  Please indicate your interest in participating by conference call when sending your RSVP and the call-in information will be provided to you.

RSVP

Please RSVP to SEA Local Benefits Committee Chairperson Kathy O’Malley by email at benefitsassist@hotmail.com or by text at (425) 238-8219 if you are interested in attending.

The Flight Operations Memorial Garden and Reflection Wall in SeaTac honors the Alaska and Horizon employees lost on Flight 261. (The monument also honors the seven employees lost on Flight 1866 in Juneau  in September 1971, and other co-workers who have died while performing their duties.)

Today marks twenty years since we lost Alaska Airlines Flight 261 PVR-SFO-SEA when it suffered a catastrophic flight control failure off the coast of Southern California near Point Hueneme.

We will never forget Flight Attendants Kristin Mills, Craig Pulanco and Allison Shanks; Captain Ted Thompson; First Officer William Tansky; Sheri Christensen, Rachel Janosik, Ileana Ost, Sarah Pearson, Anjesh Prasad, James Ryan and Stacy Schuyler.

Final Notice for Outstanding Dues Payment

by James Ikehara, Council 35 Secretary

There are several Flight Attendants in jeopardy of being terminated by January 31 for failure to correct their outstanding dues obligation. Final notices were sent on January 16, informing the Flight Attendant if the amount owed is not received by January 31, the company will move forward with termination, without the ability to dispute the discipline via the grievance process.  This process is outlined in the JCBA §26.D.

Flight Attendants have one last supplemental income opportunity to help meet their dues obligation by using today’s PBP payout. Please note that payment needs to be received by AFA International before January 31, 2020, 2pm Eastern Time, in order for the payment to be successfully credited to the account.

To make a payment:

https://secure.unasecure.net/afanet/dues_payment.cfm

Have you recently moved or need to update your email address? Use the Change of Address link on the AFA-CWA website to make any changes and keep up to date with information regarding all union activities.

Preparing for RT 2020 

We get it…it’s a mess.  If you have any concerns or want to share about your Recurrent Training 2020 experience, please contact your Council 35 Officers for assistance.  We are here to support you while preparing for the changes to the program and want to help alleviate any stress or trepidation Flight Attendants may be experiencing with the prospect of attending RT 2020.  There have been many communications sent by both AFA and management regarding this issue and more is to come.  AFA continues to strongly advocate for management to “do the right thing” and create a program that sets F/As up for success, not failure.  Please stay tuned for more info as changes to the program are happening frequently. To review AFA publications regarding RT 2020, please visit the latest news on our website. 

Understanding 480 for 2020

Welcome to a new year of benefits!  As a reminder, L-VX F/As are no longer exempt from the 480 TFP requirement to maintain benefits for the following year (2021).  Please familiarize yourself with the provisions that require the 480 TFP minimum in the JCBA:

  • §13.D.6 Uniforms
  •  §16.L.4 Vacation
  • §22.B.1-4 Eligibility for Insurance
  • §32.G.4  Attendance
  • §32 Addendum #26 Record Improvement

Calculators found on the Inflight Webpage can be useful for tracking yearly progress for attaining the 480 requirement.   To navigate to the calculators:  Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Calculators.

Trending SFO Disciplines

The Grievance Committee has seen the following trending issues in cases for discipline following a performance investigation:

  • 10-hour rule violation on reserve
  • Layover/hotel incidents
  • Commuter policy
  • Insubordination
  • Holiday Sick Leave

If you have any questions about discipline and the performance investigation process, please contact your Council 35 Officers.  

Reserve and the 10-Hour Rule

As a reminder, reserves that enter an on-call/availability period (RAP) are considered for potential duty at that time and the countdown for drinking abstinence would be 10 hours prior.  For example: a reserve that goes on-call at midnight, would need to stop alcohol consumption before 1400 the day prior.  This is also true if a reserve self-assigns a trip that has a scheduled show-time later than RAP start time.  For example: a reserve that goes on-call at midnight, but has self-assigned a trip that has a show time of 0900, will still need to refrain from consuming alcohol before 1400 the day prior.  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to the SFO Reserve Committee.

Commuter Policy FAQs

The Grievance Committee has represented many Flight Attendants flagged for investigation as a result of the commuter policy audit.  Management has indicated that they will no longer be giving “grace” for unintentional misuse.  Please familiarize yourself with the policy, which can be found on the Inflight Webpage: Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Commuter Form Instructions.  The 3-month audit has identified common errors in commuter boarding priority usage.  Please be aware that using D8Y listings is not permitted in the following situations:

  • Commuting from a non-registered city as a result of dropping a DHD either before or after a pairing 
  • Commuting from a non-registered city as a result of picking up out of base
  • Different cities other than officially registered cities unless part of an approved connection within FLY and required due to route structure or flight loads 
  • Commuting to/from base with registered cities but no trips on F/A’s schedule  
  • Partial OAL routing to/from base (i.e. commute part of the way on another airline and pick up an AS flight in a connecting city)

Honor System for Trading Trips

The Scheduling and EAP/Professional Standards (PS) Committees are still hearing about Flight Attendants “stealing” trips or giving away trips to F/As that don’t want them.  Please be aware of your trading habits and do the courtesy of ensuring the other F/A is in agreement with the transaction.  Your Council 35 officers and Scheduling Committee recommend that explicit details be included in the trade request.  To initiate a trade, be sure to read and comply with all the conditions requested by the trade post.  It is frustrating and disappointing that the current trading system does not allow for a more fail-safe trading procedure, however until that issue is resolved, please “do the right thing” and respect your fellow Flight Attendants whenever transacting a trade.  If you find yourself with an unwanted trade, please reach out to EAP/PS for assistance.  The company has taken the position to not participate in resolving any disputes regarding trips trades and will refer F/As to EAP/PS for assistance.

Air, Safety, Health & Security (ASHSC)

By Brad Young, ASHSC Chairperson and Council Representative

Boeing MRTs

MRTs will be added to Boeing since we will be losing the pin-backed name tags with our new uniform. They will be under the jumpseat like Airbus and Inflight and Engineering know it needs to be accomplished before the new uniform launches on 3/18/20.

Airbus Assist Handle

The ASHSC Chair and Vice Chair will be meeting in the hanger with the company on January 23rd to assess a subway strap type assist handle the company is proposing. It attaches to the L1 & R1 aft assist handles which the Company made unusable with the forward screen placement on Aura interiors. The original strap type handle proposed was so long that we were concerned it would get caught in the door or allow the F/A to swing out of the A/C while pulling the manual inflation handle. We do not have time line for adding these yet, but once approved and procured installation should happen fairly quickly.

A Joint Message from the Council 35 Hotel and Scheduling Committee

By James Bozanich, Hotel Chair  andVirginia Fritz, Scheduling Chair

Now that the new year is upon us, we wanted to bring a couple items to your attention and let you know what recourse you have when things don’t exactly go as planned in regards to your overnight.  As scheduling and hotel issues often share some overlap, this is a joint PSA between the Hotel and Scheduling Committee.

When rooms are not available upon check-in:

Please let Crew Scheduling know when you arrive and rooms are not ready. Keeping in touch with Crew Scheduling allows them to correct the situation more quickly. Once you have gotten your rooms please call Crew Scheduling to let them know as well. These calls record the length of your delay. Please email sfo.scheduling@afaalaska.org to let them know the time stamps of the delay as well the pairing and date affected. We will then reach out to crew scheduling to attempt to ask for additional compensation for your delay.

When company provided transportation is late:

When transportation is not provided within thirty-five minutes (:35) from block-in or within ten minutes (:10) of the scheduled departure time from the hotel, Flight Attendants will be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred for transportation to or from the airport. This is laid out under Section 34.B of our contract. 

The procedures to document and seek transportation:

  • Call Crew Scheduling to notify of delayed transportation.
  • Scheduling will first attempt to coordinate with API to find alternate transportation (including API to order an Uber for the crew).
  • If that does not work, or in an extreme transportation delay, the Inflight MOD will skip the step above and use a business Uber or Lyft account to transport the crew.  NOTE:  the business Uber or Lyft is subject to availability and the priority for those accounts are FAs that are sick online or need transportation for testing
  • If crew opts for their own transportation when delayed longer than contractual agreement, they will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred

Although there is a scheduling process in place to arrange alternative transportation, organizing your own transportation may be the quicker option in certain situations.  However, scheduling MUST be notified first so that it can be documented.  Please note that if you choose to organize your own transport, you will need to pay upfront and then submit for an expense reimbursement through PeopleSoft:   Alaska’s World >> Benefits/Pay >>PeopleSoft Login >> Expense Reimbursement >> Expense Reimbursement (Add: for new expense reports).  No expense report is necessary if the company arranges alternative transportation for you.  

Don’t Miss Out on Free Money!

by Aladrian Hillmon, VP and Interim Benefits/Retirement Chair 

Vanguard Group offers a Bi-annual retirement meeting in SEA to update the various Employee Union Retirement committees on the progress of our retirement plan. 

During the meeting in November it was brought to our attention that 1200 of our flight attendants either aren’t enrolled in our retirement plan. This means they are not eligible to receive the 7.5% company match. 

It is important to understand that company will match your contributions dollar for dollar up to 7.5%. Essentially that can be seen as “free money” added to your retirement the Alaska. Those funds have the potential to add up to a significant amount over the course of your career at Alaska. 

We urge each of you to go onto Alaska’s World and read up on the retirement options that are available to everyone of us. Your Council 35 Officers would hate to see any of our members not take advantage of this investment. Please remember, this is an opportunity to invest in yourselves and your futures.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 Officers is via email using a personal email account. The preferred methods of contact are:

  • sfo@afaalaska.org (this is the group contact for all officers-if one officer is flying /unavailable the other officers can respond)
  • Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
  • Calls/text (if situation requires more urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 Officers please avoid the following methods:

  • Sending to/from alaskaair.com email (subject to company audits and therefore not private)
  • Officer personal Facebook/social media accounts (not actively monitored for AFA concerns)
  • Excessively lengthy texts (please use email for important information as it’s easier to respond and forward to appropriate resource-texts should be reserved for alerts to an issue that requires a timely response)

Please allow at least one business day for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text). 

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

In This Edition

  • Novel Coronavirus Outbreak
  • Black History Month AFA Pin
  • Negotiating Committee Interviews
  • Uniform Returns & Packing Materials
  • REMINDER: Contractual Supporting Documents
  • Managing Negativity

Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

The novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019, is creating growing concern for air travel. The first known case has now been confirmed in the United States. AFA is contacting our airlines in an effort to put in place information and precautions for crewmembers. We are sharing what we know about the virus now, although health officials are still determining the full implications of the virus and how it is spread.

NOTE: It is important that crew redouble efforts to take the best steps against spread of communicable disease. Review personal safety and universal precautions in section 4.200 of the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Situation Summary for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus remains a good source of up-to-date information on the rapidly changing situation.

AFA is calling on all airlines to institute emergency measures immediately, including providing crew members the latest information regarding the 2019-nCoV outbreak, identification of signs/symptoms of illness (in oneself and others), and procedures to manage potentially ill persons – utilizing information from relevant U.S. authorities including the CDC, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and international authorities including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). We are also encouraging airlines to adopt AFA recommendations from our Communicable Disease Incident Response Checklists.We will provide additional updates as more information is available. We will continue to press airlines for action on this as we work to keep aviation’s first responders, our counterparts in the flight deck, and our passengers safe and healthy. 

Black History Month AFA Pin

Master Executive Council (MEC)

At the December 2019 meeting of the AFA Executive Board, a resolution was unanimously passed in recognition of February as Black History Month.   The resolution established a special commemorative pin for AFA Members to wear throughout the month of February.

Black history month AFA pin

Our Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers have been provided with a limited supply of these special edition pins and will soon be making them available to you.  Please be on the lookout for information directly from your LEC Officers with instructions on how you can obtain your own Black History Month AFA pin! 

Negotiating Committee Interviews

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Our current Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) becomes amendable on December 17, 2021 but also contains an early opener clause for the negotiating process to begin as early as December 2020.  In anticipation of early openers, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the Negotiating Committee during the March Regular MEC Meeting, to be held March 10 and 11, 2020.  All three Negotiating Committee positions are up for interview and consideration.  Per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, the MEC President is the chairperson of the Negotiating Committee and rounds out the Committee as the fourth member.

The Negotiating Committee is charged to negotiate and institute the needs and desires of the Flight Attendants into an effective collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  The Committee should have a good working knowledge of the current CBA and be willing to devote their full time to the Committee during negotiations.  The members of this Committee shall serve as the CBA Interpretation Committee until a new agreement is completed.

Selection of Committee Members

  • Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
  • Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
  • The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
  • Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:

  • The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII of the Constitution and Bylaws.
  • All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
  • Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
  • Utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
  • Maintain a current record of the:
    • Financial condition of the company.
    • Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
    • Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
  • Be familiar with the wishes of the Flight Attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.
  • Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
  • Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
  • Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
  • Review tentative agreement with the MEC
  • Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
  • Present the tentative agreement to the members
  • Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
  • Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
  • Remain available as a resource for interpretations
  • Maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA.  A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.
  • Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Flight pay loss (FPL) reimbursement will be provided to Negotiating Committee Members at the rate of 6 TFP at “A” pay for 8 hours of work.  FPL is not reimbursed for days that solely contain travel to/from an activity.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the March Regular MEC meeting from March 10-11, 2020.  Bid around the interview date or plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/6vj5XPxDwv9x54eb9.  The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Tuesday, March 3.  After that time, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.

Please note that in order to submit an expression of interest, you must have a Google account.  If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free at https://accounts.google.com/signup.

Questions?

Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

Uniform Returns & Packing Materials

Uniform Committee

Our Uniform Committee has recently received reports that some Flight Attendants have been told that their uniform return shipments were improperly packed when dropping them off at FedEx shipping locations.  Some Flight Attendants have been told by FedEx personnel that they would be required to purchase additional packing supplies including “fill” material to prevent the contents in the package from shifting. 

According to paragraph B.7 of the Flight Attendant Custom Uniform 2020 Letter of Agreement, Inflight management will assist Flight Attendants with uniform returns and provide appropriate packing supplies at no cost to the Flight Attendant upon request.  If you experience a problem with FedEx personnel accepting your return shipment due to the way it is packaged, it is recommended that you bring the package to an inflight supervisor at any base and ask them to provide the necessary packing materials and assist you with sending the shipment back to Unisync. 

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Uniform Committee.

REMINDER: Contractual Supporting Documents

Contract Committee

When there is a disagreement or difference of opinion regarding the intent of contractual language or how a contractual provision should be applied, AFA and management work through an established process to attempt to resolve the dispute.  Depending on the issue at hand, the resolution might be documented in one of several forms: a letter of agreement, memorandum of understanding, labor memorandum, or contractual settlement agreement.  Regardless of the format, these documents are contractually enforceable and supplement the provisions of our collective bargaining agreement.

To allow for the easiest possible access, these contractual supporting documents can easily be accessed from the contract home page of the AFA Alaska website at https://afaalaska.org/contract.  You can also access them on your IMD through the Good Reader app by tapping ASFASupplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Questions?

If you have any questions about contractual supporting documents, please contact your LEC President.

Managing Negativity

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Many work environments have at least that one negative person whose only way of communicating is through a string of complaints.  Escaping that individual at 30,000 feet is difficult. Relentless negativity tears away at our resiliency and ability to ignore the behavior.  While we cannot change the way other people behave, we can change the way we react.  Below are suggestions which may help you manage our own responses to negative communication and limit its impact.

Don’t Take it Personally

Negative individuals tend to find something wrong in almost every situation. Being negative may also be one’s main way to engage or connect with others. Negativity is sometimes correlated with self-esteem and inter-generational communication patterns.  A person who chronically finds problems with other people may truly be unhappy with themselves and/or demonstrating the strong influences of familial communication.

“You” and “I”

Replace “you” statements with “I” statements.  People feel attacked when their behavior is directly pointed out.  Feeling attacked causes the person to become defensive and may create unnecessary conflict.  For example, instead of “You always complain about working with her, and it gets old.” try “I feel uncomfortable when people discuss their feelings about our co-workers with me.”  

Make it a Challenge

Try to say something like “We always seem to have something to talk about, but it is usually negative.  Let’s only talk about cheerful situations today.”  Beginning with a positive comment increases the probability your listener will be receptive.  Giving feedback in this manner may also allow you to point out the negative tone of conversation of which the complainer maybe unaware.  

Offer or Seek Assistance from Your AFA EAP

Allowing a person to bombard you with their negativity may actually reinforce that behavior.  Everyone manages some negativity in their lives.  It is important for your own mental health to limit the accumulation of others’ issues. If someone is clearly struggling, remind her/him that AFA EAP offers confidential assistance.  Say something like “You know it sounds like it might be helpful for you to give our EAP a call.  I think they might be a good listener and resource for you.”  Then, give them AFA EAP’s number: (949) 470-0493.  Remember, AFA EAP is also available to you to help you maintain your resiliency in dealing with negativity.  

The Master Executive Council (MEC) met with management earlier today in Seattle to discuss our questions and concerns regarding Recurrent Training. Members of the AFA Inflight Training Committee; Grievance Committee; Air Safety, Health and Security Committee; and Scheduling Committee also joined us for the discussion. Management was represented by Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Gary Beck, Vice President of Inflight Ron Calvin, VP Labor Relations Jenny Wetzel, VP Safety & Security Max Tidwell, Managing Director (MD) of Inflight Strategy and Support Mary Avey, MD Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, MD Labor Relations Carmen Williams and other senior leaders of the Inflight division.

Focus on two themes

Your AFA leaders focused on two themes:

  • Holding management accountable, and
  • Demonstrating proficiency over perfection.

Questions asked of management

We submitted several hard questions to management, including but not limited to:

  • Which specific changes to the Recurrent Training (RT) program were required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a result of its audit of the Inflight training program last fall and which changes were management’s discretion?
  • Is management aware that the current training program has created an environment of anxiety and fear in which Flight Attendants are now questioning their abilities to handle emergency situations?
  • Is management willing to revise RT 2020 in order to provide Flight Attendants with greater clarity of expectations and improved resources and tools?

Changes sought by AFA

AFA advocated for several changes to RT 2020, including but not limited to:

  • Ending the practice of “management only” classes and to mix management personnel into as many classes and locations as possible
  • Providing adequate “hand-on” practice time prior to drill evaluations for evacuations, emergency equipment and CPR
  • Live demonstration of each evaluation scenario for evacuations, emergency equipment and CPR
  • Ability for a Flight Attendant to self-correct during an evaluation
  • Allow an evaluator to provide feedback to a Flight Attendant following an unsuccessful evaluation
  • ‘Forgive’ all Flight Attendants currently in the Special Track Training program (who were placed into the program following two unsuccessful drill evaluations)
  • Significantly revise or drop the Special Track Training program (remediation training, retention check and check ride)
  • No termination of employment following an unsuccessful fourth drill evaluation

Management took ownership, but we remain ‘cautiously skeptical’

Management took ownership of the disastrous state of the RT program, but the MEC will remain ‘cautiously skeptical’ until we see meaningful solutions put into action. However, Ron committed to ending the practice of “management only” RT classes and to mix management personnel into regular RT classes throughout the system.

Inflight management has canceled all Recurrent Training and Requalification Training classes that were scheduled to start between 1/28 and 2/7, and management has pledged to use this time to incorporate feedback and revise the RT 2020 program. Whatever changes may come out of this process, the MEC will make every effort to ensure management provides adequate training for the Inflight Instructors. It is critical that evaluations are performed uniformly and without subjectivity in order to guarantee a consistent and fair experience for all.  

Management is developing a communication that outlines the plan in more detail. AFA is also drafting several contractual grievances specific to Recurrent Training. We anticipate publishing another RT update in the coming days after management’s next communication goes out and our grievances have been filed.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has collected the following information to help you navigate the pitfalls of this year’s Recurrent Training. See AFA Alaska’s “Recurrent Training” (January 16, 2020) and “Recurrent Training 2020 – Part 2” (January 23, 2020) for additional background and information.

General preparation

The Recurrent Training SharePoint Site has a ton of useful information. How to get there? World of Inflight -> Training -> Recurrent Training -> Recurrent Training SharePoint Site. Click the “View Videos & Completion Packs” button for “must-have” drill resources such as videos and completion packs for Recurrent Training (RT) and Requalification Training (RQ). (There are now two completion packs for RT, one per day.) AFA is aware there have been unannounced changes to this site, but to the best of our knowledge, the information posted at the time of this writing is current.

2020 RT CBT must be completed a minimum of two hours prior to class time.

There is no late grace period. If you are late to RT, then you will be assessed one attendance point, sent home without pay and asked to reschedule your RT class.

Inflight Instructors are Flight Attendants

Flight Attendants in Recurrent Training are understandably frustrated. However, please keep in mind that Inflight Instructors are Flight Attendants, and they are feeling stressed about Recurrent Training as well. Please direct your frustration towards management and not your fellow Flight Attendants. For those of you sending feedback to management by email, please copy in your AFA Local Executive Council (LEC) leadership (e.g. if SEAFA, then copy in sea@afaalaska.org; if SFOFA, then copy in sfo@afaalaska.org). The MEC will announce a more comprehensive communication strategy following our meeting with management early next week.

Drills/Evaluations

As of this writing, RT 2020 includes only 45 minutes of hands-on practice for the doors and windows and no hand-on practice for emergency equipment. AFA has advocated to management that Flight Attendants need much more hands-on time for doors and windows and at least some hands-on time with the emergency equipment rather than none. AFA has received reports that access to or view of emergency equipment may not be available in at least some locations, so do not count on touching equipment prior to being evaluated.

CPR & AED operation, door and window operation, door evacuations and emergency equipment are all being evaluated as successful/unsuccessful (i.e. pass/fail) drills. You must receive 100% on each drill in order to be successful.

Instructors are no longer allowed to coach or provide any feedback between evaluations. If you are unsuccessful, ask to look at your completion pack to determine which area caused the failure. You may also ask to step out of the evaluation environment to review your completion pack or example videos. Finally, you may request a different Instructor prior to proceeding to a second attempt.

FAs will be given two opportunities to successfully pass each drill in class. A Flight Attendant will be allowed to complete class after the second unsuccessful attempt. However, s/he will be placed into disqualified (FNQ) status, which results in loss of Known Crewmember (KCM) privileges and the ability to jumpseat until resolved.

Special Track Training

Following a second unsuccessful attempt of a drill, a FA will be placed into a Special Track Training program. The FA will be removed from payroll and all scheduling obligations as a crewmember until remediation training is conducted and a retake of the drill is successfully completed. Only scheduling obligations impacted by the disqualified (FNQ) status will be removed, not the entire schedule. Flight Attendants will retain insurance during this process. S/he will be pay protected between the second and third attempt. Management will make every effort to conduct the remediation training and third attempt within seven days of RT. (A Flight Attendant also has seven days to re-take and successfully pass the written exam if s/he scores less than 80%, but this does not cause a FA to enter the Special Track Training.)

Flight Attendants will be paid 6 TFP for each day of additional training or testing, and travel pay will apply for required out of domicile training as applicable. Be aware there is a contractual limitation regarding the number of hours and time of day that training may be conducted pursuant to §30.A.2: “Training will be scheduled for no more than eight (8) hours and will occur between the hours of 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM local time.” It is management’s discretion regarding the training location, but AFA understands that management has a strong desire to hold remediation training and re-takes in Seattle.

The FA will be required to demonstrate proficiency through additional retention checks prior to the next annual RT class. In other words, you will probably be tested again on the same drill in the coming months. Another 6 TFP and travel pay will apply for required training out of domicile as applicable. The Special Track Training also includes some form of an operational observation, which is being called a “checkride.” However, this is not necessarily the traditional checkride one receives while on probation; the truth is that none of the details have been worked out yet.

The Special Track Training program specific to unsuccessful emergency equipment drills is still being developed, so AFA cannot can’t share those details with you because we don’t know what they will be. Much of this is still a moving target, but AFA is not supportive of the Special Track Program as it is currently constructed.

See “Drill Evaluation & Drill Attempt Process” in the RT 2020 FAQs document on the Recurrent Training SharePoint Site for more info.

Recurrent Training feels more like Recurrent Testing

The unfortunate reality is that as of now, Recurrent Training feels more like Recurrent Testing. AFA will continue to advocate to management to develop rational competency criteria, to provide adequate notice and the proper tools to be successful in RT. Meanwhile, Flight Attendants should probably take the initiative to actively perform their silent review using the updated verbatim commands, and to do this often.

Contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) leadership if you have any concerns or questions about Recurrent Training. The Inflight Training Committee may also be utilized as an additional AFA resource.

AFA is planning another update regarding Recurrent Training after our meeting with management next week.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Your MEC Inflight Training Committee – Megan Brown, Steve Vincent, Sam Clifton and Justin Wetherell

The Recurrent Training (RT) program for 2020 was unveiled with many significant changes: two days rather than one, verbatim drills, instructor vs. evaluator, the list goes on. Unfortunately, what we didn’t expect was how disorganized and unprepared Inflight Training management would be in delivering this new program. In our last communication about Recurrent Training (January 16, 2020), AFA informed Flight Attendants of the approved exceptions to the “verbatim” evacuation commands when management was unwilling to communicate. Why is management reluctant to be forthright and honest? Management should be held to the same standards they expect us to uphold.

Communication from management to the Flight Attendants has been abysmal at best. The core value of “Deliver Performance” in the Company’s Service Framework says, “I’m accountable and responsible for the success of the operation.” This is followed by, “know and perform my role,” “execute operational timelines,” “use time and resources wisely” and “collaborate across roles to ensure the team’s success.” Management has missed the mark on each. The same value states, “I take initiative to provide accurate and timely information,” which management has failed to do since the chaos of RT 2020 started. Management can keep throwing apologies out, but there is no accountability and no repercussions for them despite the many consequences Flight Attendants have experienced as a result of management’s actions.

Did you know that Instructors have been required to go through up to three different “calibration trainings” due to changing expectations, unclear standards and poor communication? Training materials are constantly being updated for Flight Attendants and Instructors sometimes after class begins, which could mean the difference between a successful or unsuccessful drill. Training management has also been unclear in their communications with base leadership and scheduling leadership, which has set those leadership groups up for being unable to help Flight Attendants or answer their questions.

Failure rates for the drill evaluations in some locations have been as high as 45%. What is meant by a failure rate? You have two attempts at each evaluation to successfully complete the drill. If you do not pass those two attempts, then you are allowed to complete RT but immediately pulled off the line and your Known Crewmember (KCM) access and jumpseating privileges are revoked until you go through remediation training and successfully pass the drill. More information about remediation training and the associated “Special Track” training program will be shared in the next RT communication, which will be published by AFA tomorrow.

We cannot continue RT 2020 on this track. With change there is understandably some stress attached. However, the level of stress added to both Flight Attendants and Instructors is out of control, and something needs to be done. Vice President of Inflight Ron Calvin and his team need to come together and make things right. This was their mess to begin with, and they are not meeting the same standards of near perfection they require from our workgroup. Management can and must do better.

The MEC requested a meeting with management as soon as possible to discuss these failures, and we are hoping management will meet with us next Tuesday. We want management to acknowledge the poor development of RT 2020 drill evaluations, the abysmal execution of the program so far, and the lack of communication and lack of transparency that has caused so much angst amongst our group. What will be done to rectify this unacceptable situation?

To be clear, the MEC takes issue with management in this debacle. We fully support our Instructors and their desire to provide a neutral, fair and supportive environment at each training location.

Stay tuned for the next RT update tomorrow!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) appreciates Inflight management addressing the rumor mill regarding Recurrent Training (RT). We are particularly thankful Inflight went on record to state the recent changes to RT in response to an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were absolutely not due to inadequate Inflight Instructors. However, the MEC is extremely disappointed that management has not taken more ownership of the situation at a much earlier date.

We are further frustrated by the fact that management missed a key opportunity to potentially mitigate or perhaps even eliminate some of the changes. How so? Management failed to accept AFA recommendations during integration in 2018 to incorporate “approved alternative” evacuation command verbiage into the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM).

AFA officers and representatives, the Inflight Training Committee and Inflight Flight Attendant Instructors have spent much of the past few months asking tough questions of management regarding the RT debacle and advocating for the best interest of Flight Attendants. We’re certainly not finished, but this is what we can report so far:

RT Computer Based Training (CBT) “Homestudy”

Cornerstone is a joke and needed to be replaced yesterday. AFA will continue to pressure management to provide Flight Attendants with the tools to help make us successful. Cornerstone is not one of those tools.

RT Written Test

The written test is still 25 questions and requires 80% (20 or more correct) to pass. Although the test question database has been eliminated for RT 2020, AFA has confirmed the test is derived exclusively from the (as of this writing) 74 questions in the various knowledge checks of the Homestudy. Once you have completed the Homestudy, you can go back and directly access each knowledge check separately in order to review the questions and answers as many times as you would like.

Be aware the order of the questions and/or responses may be randomized, but the actual questions and the one correct answer for each respective question will remain the same. If the knowledge checks in the Homestudy happen to be updated (this happens occasionally if a question is corrected or if a policy or procedure changes), then the questions and answers may change slightly. In summary, the Homestudy knowledge check database that is current at the time of RT is the one used to construct the written test.

How to access the knowledge checks?

World of Inflight (login required) -> Training -> Recurrent Training -> Recurrent Training SharePoint Site -> “IMD Tutorial” or “Web Tutorial”

Evacuation Commands

Flight Attendants are expected to come to RT prepared to demonstrate proficiency by using verbatim evacuation commands. However, AFA can positively confirm all those meetings with management over the past few months about the commands paid off!

Flight Attendants will be deemed proficient (and therefore successful in completing their evacuation evaluation) if they inadvertently use any of the four approved exceptions: “the” may be added between “Help” and “people,” “airplane” or “aircraft” may be used instead of “plane” and “jump” may be said twice in a row. Although a Flight Attendant will be coached to use verbatim commands in the future, the following commands would be considered successful:

“Heads down, stay down” / “Open seatbelts — Open seatbelts” / “Stay back –Stay back” / “You two, stay at the bottom” / “Help (the) people off” / “Send them away from the plane (/ airplane / aircraft)” / “Leave everything” / “Exit here” / “Jump (Jump)”.

Again, you are expected to deliver the commands verbatim, but using the approved alternatives will still result in passing the evaluation. We hope this information will help to reduce the understandably high level of anxiety regarding evacuation drills in RT this year. Please keep in mind that Inflight Instructors are Flight Attendants, and they are feeling stressed about Recurrent Training as well.

Contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) leadership if you have any concerns or questions about Recurrent Training. The Inflight Training Committee may also be utilized as an additional AFA resource.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Your MEC Inflight Training Committee – Megan Brown, Steve Vincent, Sam Clifton and Justin Wetherell

In This Edition

  • REMINDER: Know Your Dues Obligation
  • Recurrent Training
  • Two Computer Based Trainings (CBTs) are Due in January
  • Uniforms
  • Commitments to Healthier Habits
  • National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month

REMINDER: Know Your Dues Obligation

Membership Committee

Each of us has an obligation to ensure that our AFA dues payments are current and up-to-date.  Section 26 of our collective bargaining agreement outlines the requirement for each of us to pay dues as a condition of employment.  If you receive a notice that dues are past due, it is important to remedy the past due amount immediately.  Failure to remedy a past due amount may result in termination of employment.

How Do I Know If I Have a Past Due Amount?

If you have a past due amount, you will receive a statement from the AFA International Membership Services Department sent to your mailing address on file with AFA.  The statement will show for which month(s) dues have not been paid.

What To Do If You Receive a Past Due Notice for AFA Dues

If you receive a statement indicating that you owe dues, the easiest way to make a payment is through the AFA Membership Services website.  You can also contact the Membership Services Department to discuss options for a payment plan if you are unable to pay the owed amount immediately.  More information about payment options can be found here.  

Final Notices

A number of Flight Attendants throughout the system are significantly past due despite multiple communications regarding the dues obligation, and many attempts have been made by AFA representatives to contact and work with them. Consequently, AFA intends to send final notices to this group late next week.

If a Flight Attendant does not pay the amount owed within 15 calendar days of receiving final notice, AFA will then notify the Company. At that point, the Company will terminate employment in accordance with Section 26.D of our collective bargaining agreement.

Flight Attendants have had or will have several supplemental income opportunities to help meet their dues obligation: the “Block of 8” Productivity Premium Program (PPP) paid on December 20, the December PPP to be paid on January 17, Performance Based Pay (PBP) to be paid out soon. Vacation cash-out is always an option as a last resort. Membership Services also accepts credit cards for dues payments.

Questions?

If you have any questions about dues, please contact your Local Membership Committee or AFA International Membership Services at (800) 424-2401, ext. 707.

Recurrent Training

Inflight Training Committee

Management has made substantial changes to the Recurrent Training (RT) program for 2020 following the shutdown of RT in October 2019 in response to findings by the FAA.  The Master Executive Council (MEC) has made it a priority to examine these changes closely and push back on any that appear to be more stringent than necessary to achieve regulatory compliance. As a result of those efforts, AFA secured a number of improvements behind the scenes that had a significantly positive effect for Flight Attendants impacted by the “new” RT in 2019. AFA is working hard to attain similar improvements to RT 2020 prior to classes beginning next week.

This week, management conducted a five-day “Train-the-Trainer” session in Seattle during which the Inflight Instructors (who are also Flight Attendants) and all of the members of the AFA Inflight Training Committee (who are also Inflight Instructors) received instruction from Inflight Training management on how to deliver the 2020 Recurrent Training (RT) program.  Several MEC leaders also attended as observers. There were a number of spirited conversations during the week in which the Inflight Instructors, Inflight Training Committee members and the MEC observers provided feedback to management regarding the curriculum and evaluations. The group advocated for changes that protect the interests of Flight Attendants and Flight Attendant Instructors.

Management is currently in the process of incorporating that feedback and is planning a communication about Recurrent Training to the entire Flight Attendant group early next week. AFA will release a standalone RT update in response to management’s communication once it is published.

Two Computer Based Trainings (CBTs) are Due in January

Inflight Training Committee

As of today, 2041 Flight Attendants (about a third of all FAs) have not completed the Q4 2019 CBT that is now due on January 15, 2020. There is another CBT due on January 31, 2020: Annual Compliance Training (ACT) 2019. Flight Attendants not completing the required CBTs by the deadline will be issued progressive discipline. 

If you are having issues completing the training, contact the IT Help Desk at: 877-238-1077 or email Inflight Training at inflight.training@alaskaair.com.  Please keep track of any time you spend working with IT to resolve the issue and collect any documentation (including IT ticket information, screenshots of telephone call history with calls to IT, etc.).  Once the issue is resolved, please submit this information through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center.  These issues will be referred to the IT Review Process and handled through Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) meeting and may be eligible for additional pay.

Uniforms

Uniform Committee

Custom Uniforms pieces are now arriving from Unisync.  It is important to try on your pieces as soon as they arrive and send any items back for return as soon as possible so that you can place an order for replacement pieces.  Exchanges must first be processed as a return and then a new order submitted for the replacement item.

Returns

Uniform returns are processed through the Unisync website at http://aag.unisync.store (login required) or by calling Unisync customer service at (833) 525-2752. Detailed instructions on how to complete a return can be found on the Unisync website. After you have processed a return (either online or through customer service), you should receive an email notification when your allotment has been credited for the return.  Once you receive this notification, you’ll be able to order replacement pieces using the credit from the return as well as any unused funds.

When you complete the return process, you’ll receive a return merchandise authorization (RMA) number. You may either 1) print the return request submission page or 2) indicate your RMA number along with your name and Peoplesoft number on Section A of the return slip (or on any piece of paper if you are missing the return slip); include the return authorization information with your shipment to ensure that your allotment is properly credited.

Per a letter of agreement with management, Flight Attendants are not responsible for the cost of uniform shipping, including returns.  All shipments should include a pre-paid FedEx return label to the box.  If you did not receive a pre-paid label, please contact Unisync customer service.  Inflight management will assist Flight Attendants with uniform returns, provide appropriate packing supplies at no cost to the Flight Attendant and ship the return upon request. Returns must be postmarked no later than 90 days from receipt of the items.

New Uniform Wear Start Date

Management will soon be announcing the date for cutover to the new uniform.  Please do not wear the new uniform or any pieces or accessories until the cutover date.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the uniform return or exchange process, please contact your Local Uniform Committee.

Commitments to Healthier Habits

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

The beginning of a new year is often marked with commitments to healthier habits. One health routine that you may want to consider is to examine your alcohol use annually, if not more frequently. To help you do this, the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP) along with researchers and experts in the field of addiction developed an alcohol screening instrument just for flight attendants.  

Should you answer yes to any of the below questions, please follow up with your Flight Attendant peer assistance program at your airline. Your conversations are confidential. You can reach your FADAP peer through the FADAP toll free help line at:

1-855-33FADAP or 1-855-333-2327

Flight Attendant Alcohol Use Screening

Routinely evaluate your alcohol use just as you would other health issues.  Self-assess by asking yourself the following questions:

  • Have you shown up for a flight hung over?
  • Have you bid a certain position to have easy access to alcohol in the past year?
  • Have you drank past the cut off time in the past year?
  • Felt bad or guilty about your drinking in the past year?
  • Do you drink alcohol 4 or more times per week?
  • Have you had 5 or more drinks on a typical day when you are drinking?

Should you answer yes to any of the above questions, please follow up with a call to a Flight Attendant peer with the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP). Your conversations are confidential. 

National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Human Rights Committee

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. We can take a stand against human trafficking by recommitting ourselves to end it on our planes. As Flight Attendants and aviation’s first responders, we are uniquely positioned to identify human traffickers and assist their victims.

United Against Slavery: Take the Survey

AFA is proud to collaborate with United Against Slavery to collect comprehensive data among our members to help combat all forms of human trafficking. We know that Flight Attendants are a frontline identifiers against perpetrators using air transportation to relocate victims of sex and labor trafficking.

It is important to find out what is and isn’t working on the line while we work as an industry to help combat human trafficking. We want your voices to be heard, so we invite you to participate in the National Outreach Survey for Flight Attendants, between thought April 6, 2020. This online survey is optional and allows flexibility to accommodate your schedules for any member who chooses to participate. We have an opportunity to collect much needed data in the aviation sector to help combat human trafficking.

Click here to take the survey

December Update:

‘Tis the season….for IROPS 

Now is the time to get to know your contract.  With irregular operations (IROPS) due to weather or operational challenges, be aware of what is contractually supported for scheduling changes.  Refer to Sections 8 and 10 for lineholders and Section 11 for reserves.  Additionally, Junior Assigning (Section 9) has already occurred this holiday season so be aware of the contractual limitations of this practice.

CBT Deadline December 31

A friendly reminder to complete the 4th Quarter CBT is due 12/31/19.  In the event accessing Cornerstone through the app is unsuccessful, please reach out to your base supervisor for assistance. Additionally Flight Attendants may access Cornerstone via computer (non-mobile device) through the In-flight Page on Alaskasworld.  Failure to complete quarterly CBTs by the deadline historically has resulted in progressive steps of discipline.

Leftover Guest Passes?  Save them!

Remember to convert your unused companion travel passes before the end of day December 31st. Once converted the pass codes will remain in your FLY account under Guest Passes>>Manage Guest Passes. Converted passes must be ticketed within 3 months after the pass code has been generated.

Recurrent Training 2020

The recurrent training home study CBT was released 12/26/19 and available online for those taking recurrent in January. The CBT portion of recurrent training must be completed at least 2 hours prior to the start of training class.   As a reminder, for 2020, recurrent training will be two days.  AFA has been advocating for a streamlined and fair recurrent training process due to recent and sudden changes that have occurred.  This is an ongoing issue so please look out for more communication from the training department and the MEC regarding any updates to the program or guidelines.

Uniform Update 

Rollover of uniform funds are defined in the Uniform Allotments and Rollover Letter of Agreement.  Flight Attendants with remaining uniform funds will rollover at 50% value.

New uniforms will begin to ship in January, with the expectation of a March launch (actual date to be announced).  It is recommended that uniforms be tried for fit as soon as received.  This will allow ample time to make any adjustments or exchanges if necessary.

With the new uniform roll-out just around the corner, management has indicated an increase in compliance checks for current uniforms.  There are 3 stages of compliance checks:

  • 2019:  a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform will be subject to a “conversation” with base management regarding current uniform policy.  
  • January 1, 2020 –  launch of the new/custom uniform:  a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform will be issued a Record of Discussion (ROD) which will be documented in the FAs personnel file.
  • Custom uniform launch and beyond: a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform that is not “fixable” will be sent home.

Clean Slate for 2020

Flight Attendants who…

  1. achieved 480 TFP (L-VX exempt in  2019)
  2. had 4 or fewer attendance points at the end of 2019
  3. and who did not accrue any points in November and December 2019

…will start 2020 with zero points.  This process is defined in the JCBA S32.G.4.  The adjustment is a manual process done by the performance supervisor team, so please allow until mid-January for the process to be complete.  After the adjustments have been made, any discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the SFO performance supervisor, Raquel Wehrwein. 

Clock Resets for 480 on January 1

All Alaska Flight Attendants (including L-VX) will be required to achieve 480 TFP for the year 2020 to maintain the following benefits:

  1. Uniforms  §13.D.6
  2. Vacation §16.L.4
  3. Health Insurance §33.B.1-4
  4. Attendance year-end record improvement §32.G.4 

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email using a personal email account. The preferred methods of contact are:

  • sfo@afaalaska.org (this is the group contact for all officers-if one officer is flying /unavailable the other officers can respond)
  • Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
  • Calls/text (if situation requires more urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 Officers please avoid the following methods:

  • Sending to/from alaskaair.com email (subject to company audits and therefore not private)
  • Officer personal Facebook/social media accounts (not actively monitored for AFA concerns)
  • Excessively lengthy texts (please use email for important information as it’s easier to respond and forward to appropriate resource-texts should be reserved for alerts to an issue that requires a timely response)

Please allow at least 24 business hours for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text). 

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

November 1 marks the beginning of Native American Heritage Month in the United States. Also known as National Native American Heritage Month, this celebration originated from efforts to recognize an American Indian Day in the early 20th century. In 1916, New York became the first state to officially proclaim American Indian Day following a declaration […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, October 28, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), […]

Sick Leave Survey Now Open

Your Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) prioritizes your health and well-being and seeks to understand which aspects of our paid sick leave policy matter most to you. We encourage you to participate in the survey, which is open until Tuesday, November 11 at Noon PT, to ensure your voice is heard in shaping our support for your healthcare needs.

SEA Domicile Negotiations – October 2025 Update #2

This session was marked by the Negotiating Committee’s strong advocacy for protections and enhancements that would support the Seattle base as a viable option for transferring Flight Attendants. With insights from Ryan St. John, the Vice President of Finance, Planning, and Investor Relations for Alaska Airlines, the Negotiating Committee highlighted the necessity of combining data-driven strategies with hands-on experience and sufficient resources for long-term success.

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 8 – October 2025

During our recent negotiations, the Joint Negotiation Committee focused on key sections, particularly reaching a Tentative Agreement on Lodging and Transportation, which improves food availability and transportation safety. We also engaged with Council 19 to clarify negotiation processes and differences between contracts. Stay tuned for our upcoming session with management from November 18 to 20.

Recent Posts

News By Month

News By Category

AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Committee Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
Sign Up for Emails
Sign Up for Text Updates